Video gaming continues to gain popularity as a pastime. Gaming has become especially accessible with the advent of computer entertainment systems and personal gaming systems, including those using mobile wireless devices. Gaming has also gained in popularity due to advances in technology, such as in display and controller design, and overall game quality.
With the implementation of accelerometers, gaming has become more of a physical activity. A player can control game action by moving a controller to and fro or in a pre-defined gesture motion. In many home gaming systems, controllers are tethered to a game console, limiting players to sitting or standing in place. Even with wireless controllers, players are limited to a small portion of a room by ultra-short-range signals used and/or the need for players to view a television screen.
Gaming applications on wireless terminals, such as smartphones and handheld gaming devices, allow play anywhere. Using short-range communication, two local players can compete. The game cannot be played if the devices are moved out of range of each other, which could occur due to obstacles or the devices being separated by more than a short distance.
By way of the Internet, players on wireless terminals in remote locations can compete. The recent introduction of geographical positioning systems into wireless terminals has further spawned a number of location-based games. In location-based gaming, also known as geolocation gaming or geo-gaming, players affect play at least in part by changing their geographic location.